Faith in a Digital Age TGC WEBINAR SERIES
Faith in a Digital Age TGC WEBINAR SERIES MAY 2 N D , 2020
Faith in a Digital Age 1. EXAMINING SCRIPTURE GEN 1 – 3, 11 REV 2. EXAMINING OUR WORLD IDENTITY, CULTURE 3. TOWARDS A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE UNDERSTANDING, EVALUATION
1. Examining Scripture • Techno (skill) + Logia (study) • Defining Terms: • Technology – the human activity of using tools to transform God’s creation for practical purposes
1. Examining Scripture The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it (in Hebrew, lit. “to make”) and take care of it. Gen 2: 15
1. Examining Scripture • All technology was intended as an expression of human creativity God’s creativity. • Corruption: the misuse of technology – to hid oneself from sin and from God. Seen particularly in Cain.
1. Examining Scripture So Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden… Gen 4: 16 • Primitive technology develops animal husbandry, art / music, metallurgy (Gen 4: 19 -22).
2. Examining our World • Technism: the belief that technology will solve all our problems. • Technology cannot solve sin. • The rise of modernism (1600 s) resulted in the capacity to alter the world completely. • Extended to moral and religious law
2. Examining our World “I regard the freeing of the human mind from its severe physical limitations of scope and duration as the necessary next step in evolution. Evolution, in my view, represents the purpose of life. That is, the purpose of life – and of our lives – is to evolve. ” Ray Kurzweil American Inventor and Futurist
2. Examining our World • Popular culture does not evaluate technology: • How we use technology • How technology uses us • Example: Facebook and identity formation
3. Towards a Christian Perspective • The image of the New Jerusalem is filled with technological advancements: Rev 21: 15 – 21. • Fulfills original intention: reflecting God.
3. Towards a Christian Perspective • Discerning technology well • Medium – the tool used to communicate a message • Formality – the type of social interaction encouraged • Difficulty – the amount of challenging factors in • Speed – the time it takes for the medium to transmit the message • Message – the content we transmit through a medium
3. Towards a Christian Perspective 5 Practical Steps for Technology Usage 1. Value – our understanding of self-identity and value must ultimately come from Scripture. 2. Experiment – note the differences adopting this new technology can have on you 3. Limitation – understand the limitations of the technological medium. 4. Togetherness – practice the above three steps with others 5. Cultivation – think about how this technological medium can enrich our real lives
- Slides: 12